The present invention relates to capacitor devices including a capacitor, which is integrally mounted in a holder having a mounting part for a device that uses the capacitor, and to methods of fabricating the capacitor devices.
The present invention pertains to capacitor devices designed for relatively large-sized capacitors, specifically cylindrical capacitors of a size of about 35 mm in diameter and about 80 mm in length or of a larger size, for use in various electric and electronic appliances. A typical example of such capacitors is an electrolytic capacitor disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,064,563, of which entire disclosure including specification, claims, drawings and abstract are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Relatively large-sized capacitors of this kind can not be mounted firmly just by directly connecting their lead wires to, for example, a printed circuit board, unlike smaller-sized capacitors. Therefore, such capacitors are conventionally mounted to another device as follows.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a conventional capacitor device comprising the combination of a capacitor and a holder for mounting the capacitor on another device. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the holder of the conventional capacitor device.
A capacitor 10 includes a bottomed cylindrical metallic case (not shown in the figure), a capacitor element and an electrolyte accommodated in the case, and a sealing plate 11 that seals the upper opening of the case. The capacitor 10 is coated with a heat shrinking resin tube 14 from the side face of the case to the circumference of the sealing plate 11. A pair of terminals 12 is provided on the sealing plate 11 while being insulated from the sealing plate 11. The terminals 12 have a screw hole 13 in the top. A bus bar 16 with a hole 17 can be connected to the terminal 12 with a bolt 15, as illustrated in FIG. 6.
A holder 40 for mounting the capacitor 10 on a device 50 includes a holding part 41, which is a belt-like metal plate bent into a circle. The holder 40 also includes a bolt 43 and a nut 44 for fastening folded parts 42 at both ends of the holding part 41, and three mounting feet 45 for securing the holder to the device 50. The mounting feet 45 have a screw hole 46.
In order to mount the capacitor 10 on the device 50, the holding part 41 of the holder 40 is fitted around the capacitor 10, and the folded parts 42 are fastened together with the bolt 43 and the nut 44. Subsequently, the mounting feet 45 with the screw holes 46 are screwed to the device 50. In this way, the capacitor 10 is fixed to a device, such as an electronic device, an industrial machine, an automobile, etc., by the holder 40.
An example of such prior art technique is Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-196265.
Since the above-described capacitor device is so configured that the capacitor 10 is fixed to the holder 40 in a vertical position, the capacitor device is large in height and therefore has a disadvantage of being unable to be mounted in cases of limited mounting space. Also, when the capacitor 10, which is in a vertical position, is connected to another adjacent electronic device, there is a large distance between the terminals 12 of the capacitor 10 and the terminals of the electronic device. Thus, a problem of large inductance (L) in a mounted state arises.
Further, this capacitor device needs such parts as the bolt 43 and the nut 44 in order to secure the capacitor 10 to the holder 40, so the shape of the holder becomes complicated, consequently causing an increase in costs.